800+ Iraqis ready to leave Syria's Al-Hol camp

Shafaq News - Baghdad

Around 850 Iraqis at the Al-Hol camp in Syria are set for repatriation to Iraq, an informed source told Shafaq News on Sunday, noting the transfer will take place under US protection.

According to the source, all administrative and logistical preparations have been completed, with the convoy scheduled to depart on Monday morning.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement indicated that a new group of Iraqi families would soon leave Al-Hol, marking Convoy number 31 since 2021.

Roughly 3,000 nationals remain in the camp, and their return is expected through three additional convoys coordinated with the United Nations, as part of a joint effort to complete the repatriation of all Iraqi families from Al-Hol by 2027.

The camp once held nearly 70,000 people at the height of the fight against ISIS in 2019. By January 2025, it hosted around 40,000 residents, including 16,000 Syrians and 6,400 third-country nationals.

Since 2021, roughly 18,000 Iraqis have been transferred to Al-Jadaa camp in Nineveh, where they undergo social and psychological rehabilitation before reintegrating into their communities.

The program has, however, encountered objections from families of ISIS victims in the province, who fear the reintegration of returnees into their towns and villages.

Read more: Security vs. Humanity: Iraq's struggle with ISIS repatriation